1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a fuel activating device and method consisting of at least two separate infrared-emitting bodies, each infrared-emitting body being engineered to have specific peak wavelength and spectral luminance in 3-20 um (micrometer) wavelength range, that provides an effective means for enhancing combustion of hydrocarbon fuels in internal combustion engines, resulting in better engine performance with increased power, improved fuel economy, and reduced emissions.
2. Description of Prior Art
According to Organic Chemistry, photoexciting hydrocarbons with infrared photons shorter than 20 um in wavelengths for enhanced fuel conversion efficiency were believed to be scientifically predictable. After years of research the present inventor had discovered the use of infrared radiation at 3-14 um wavelengths, which are categorized as “mid-infrared” by U.S. NASA but as “far-infrared” in Japanese convention, for improving combustion efficiency of hydrocarbon fuel in internal combustion engines that resulted in inventions of fuel combustion enhancement devices as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,026,788 and 6,082,339 by the present inventor. Since then, a number of inventions in this field followed, for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,021,297, 7,036,492, and 7,281,526 just to name a few.
Although the device as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,788 by the present inventor worked adequately, the fuel activation effect became limited in the applications for heavy duty gasoline or diesel trucks due to the fact that these applications required irradiating a large flow of fuel substance in a very short time interval. Besides, commercial fuels comprise a very complex hydrocarbon system that contains a wide variety of hydrocarbons and absorb infrared photons all over the entire 3-20 um wavelength spectrum.
In Organic Chemistry, hydrocarbons absorb assorted infrared photons in 3-20 um wavelengths causing molecular vibrations. The present inventor has experimentally verified in laboratory that increasing molecular vibrations can result in lowered activation barrier of hydrocarbon molecules and thus increase fuel's combustibility with amplified oxidation rate in combustion. However, as stated before, the multiple-component hydrocarbons in commercial fuel systems require absorbing photons with wavelengths spanning all through the 3-20 um wavelength range so that it requires uniform emissions over the said spectrum to effectively excite all hydrocarbon components in the fuel systems.
Unfortunately, regardless of endless trials, the present inventor found it would be difficult to design a broadband infrared emitter that could uniformly distribute the radiation energy over the entire 3-20 um spectrum. In theory, most of the available radiation energy from such IR-emitter is often associated with short wavelengths (i.e. high frequencies). Moreover, the peak wavelength where the maximum flux density per unit wavelength interval emerging from IR-emitter will displace toward short wavelength as temperature increases, known as Wien's Displacement Law. This inevitably results in radiation energy being over-strengthened in short wavelengths but weakened in long wavelengths, which may leave some groups of hydrocarbons in the fuel unexcited or less-excited and reduce the overall infrared activation effect on the fuel.
The devices as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,788 by the present inventor used an infrared emitting body composed of metal oxides selected from the groups consisting alumina, silica, zirconia, lithium oxide, magnesium oxide, calcium oxide, titanium oxide, and so on. After the mixture of purposely selected oxides and bonding agent had been sintered at a temperature above 1200° C., the characteristic infrared spectral luminance became specific and permanent. The profile of spectral radiation rate of such IR-emitter can be preset only by carefully choosing the composition of oxides and processing parameters during fabrication. As such, IR-emitters with specific peak wavelength and spectral luminance profile in the desired 3-20 um wavelength range can be deliberately made.
Accordingly, the present inventor had tailored IR-emissions at specific peak wavelengths in 3-20 um range by precisely controlling weight percentages of key elements such as zirconia, magnesium oxide, and cobalt oxide in the oxide mixture. In laboratory, the peak wavelengths of IR-emitters containing various amounts of cobalt oxide (CoO), magnesium oxide (MgO), and zirconia (ZrO2) have been experimentally determined to be around 3 um, 5 um, and 10 um, respectively.
In addition, the present inventor also experimentally discovered that purposely using at least two IR-emitters with various peak wavelengths in a group could significantly increase the fuel activation effect on fuel, and thus dramatically improve engine performance.
As described above, the prior art failed to teach the combined use of a number of IR-emitters with specific peak wavelength and spectral luminance in 3-20 um wavelength range for maximizing improvement of hydrocarbon fuel combustion efficiency in engines.